Goodbye, 2009!

It is the last day of 2009 today. Auld Lang Syne!

As I was working 1/2 day today (but Da was not), Da's niece, MAT came over to join me for afternoon jalan-jalan. We went to Parkway Parade with my mother and my Aunt SN (my mother's second sister).

Aunt SN ordered nasi padang from the food court at Parkway Parade. She was attracted by the achar. Aunt SN is a chilli queen - the amount of chilli she eats is amazing.

My mother and I ate beef noodles.

Unfortunately, the beef noodles only came with one type of noodles - the thick type of beehoon. I am not very fond of this type of noodles. Even when it comes to pasta, I prefer linguine to regular spaghetti noodles. It has been years since my mother and I ate beef noodles.

MAT ordered Korean beef rice. It looked delicious.

While we were at Isetan at Parkway Parade, we bumped into my friend, DDT and his wife (TT). They were there sans their two little princesses. My mother (who also knows DDT) had not seen him in years, so it was good to catch up.

As MAT had to leave early to go to her father's brother's home for a barbeque, her aunt-in-law came to fetch her from the waiting area near the bus stop at Marine Parade Central.

Da was able to leave the office a little early and he came to Parkway Parade to meet the rest of us. We ate dinner (at the food court... again!) before we made our way back.

This year has indeed been a Dektos year for Da and me. I know that the Lord has gone ahead of us and He has paved the way for an even more victorious 2010. I look forward to the journey. Thank You, Lord for loving us. We love You because You first loved us.

Shaloam,

Rainbow

Rainbow

(by Russ Hamilton)

Rainbow, rainbow, rainbow

CHORUS:

I'm saving my money to buy you a rainbow

A rainbow, to put on your finger

And after I've gone and bought you the rainbow

I'll go out and I'll buy you the moon

When we go walking side by side in the moonlight

We count the stars as we go strolling by

Maybe someday we'll own those beautiful diamonds

That glisten like the teardrops from your eyes

You know how I feel on a moment like this

When hand in hand when we reminisce

Your eyes seem to glow when you whisper low

I really love you

CHORUS

And after I've gone and bought you the rainbow

I'll go out and I'll buy you the moon

I'll go out and I'll buy you the moon

Rainbow, rainbow, rainbow

almost green fingers

I would be the first to admit that I do not really have "green fingers".

I have lost count of the number of plants that I have "killed" while the plants were under my care.

Currently, we only have 3 plants left in our balcony.

(a) A large pot of dessert rose that we bought a few years ago from a nursery.

(b) A small pot of orchids that we bought from Ikea (for less than S$5, if I recall correctly) a few years ago.

(c) A pot of plant (whose name I cannot remember) that I "created" from stem cuttings from another plant.

The sun that shines at our balcony is quite strong and as such, it may be part of the reason why some of our plants have not survived. By the same token, the dessert rose is doing well because it can survive under strong sunlight.

As for the mini pot of orchids, ever since the first bloom (when we bought it from Ikea), it not bloomed since. As such, I was very excited when I noticed recently that there seemed to be signs that the orchids would bloom again. Furthermore, it seemed that there would be three stalks of flowers!

True enough, after some patient waiting, the pot of orchids started to bloom recently. How beautiful it looks!

To add to the good news, the pot of plant that I "created" from stem cuttings seems to be blooming as well! I see signs of lovely rose-coloured flowers. How lovely!

Such are life's simple pleasures. Let us enjoy them.

Shaloam,

Jesus loves me

The message in the Christmas mass at OLPS church that we attended this year was simple - we love because He first loved us.

The Lord loves us and He will always see us through. No matter what trials and tribulations we are going through, we need to focus our eyes on the Lord. When we fix our eyes on Him, we do not see the storm around us. Let us trust in the Lord for He has gone ahead of us and paved the way for our victory.

Jesus loves me

Jesus loves me; This I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to Him belong
They are weak but He is strong

Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so

Jesus loves me; He who died
Heaven's gate to open wide
He will wash away my sin
Let His little child come in

Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so

Jesus loves me! loves me still
When I'm very weak and ill
From His shining throne on high
Comes to watch me where I lie

Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so

Jesus loves me; He will stay
Close beside me all the way
He's prepared a home for me
And some day His face I'll see

Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so

Last sunday of 2009

This is the last sunday of 2009.

Looking back on the past year, whatever the Lord has promised, He has delivered. It has indeed been a Dektos year for Da and me.

Thank You, Lord that Your Word is "Yes" and "Amen".

I know that You have gone ahead in the year 2010 and You have paved the way for us. 2010 will be a good year for my family and I.

Da and I enjoyed brunch at Qi Ji at Suntec Tower Two this morning before we attended church service.

Da ordered a plate of mee rebus while I ate nasi lemak.

After church, being adventurous, we walked the City Link underpass and proceeded to Raffles City. Gosh! It was so crowded! After a little window shopping at Robinsons, we took a slow walk back to Suntec City Tower Two where our car was parked. For a fleeting moment, we thought of adjourning to Marina Square shopping mall but decided to call it a day as we were tired.

Hi Ber Yee Poh, I thank the Lord that you are on the way to recovery. The Lord loves you. He is your health and your strength. We love you very much - stay strong! Mwah! Mwah!

Shaloam,

Boxing Day dinner 2009

If the photographs in this post look like a feast to you, it was.

My mother, Aunt SN and ZT (girlfriend of my brother, LG) came to our home for Boxing Day dinner today.

This afternoon, I made some garlic spread, which I then spread onto homemade banana oat bread. The end result was homemade garlic bread.

The Muar otah-otah came in handy and I baked the same in our convection oven.

Looking at the spread, I wonder how we managed to eat so much. *grin*

I baked some fish fingers in the oven. The trick to crispy and delicious finger food is in the temperature and timing. For the breaded fish fingers, I baked them at 220 degrees celsius for 10 minutes. Thereafter, I flipped the fish fingers over and baked them at 220 degrees celsius for another 10 minutes. Yummy!

The ham was ordered from a wholesaler through my colleague at work.

Ready for dinner?

Da bought some cans of Campbell wild mushroom soup and I heated some in the cooking pot. I have to say, though, that I prefer the regular Campbell mushroom soup.

These gigantic looking drumsticks are actually turkey and not chicken.

Was there more to the spread? Yes, there was!

I baked a Sunshine Hawaiian pizza that ZT had given us. This pizza is halal.

I also baked some CP honey wings.

Did we finish the entire spread? No. There was quite a bit of leftover turkey and ham. Not to worry - these are perfect for sandwiches.

Have a blessed Christmas, one and all!

Shaloam,

Blessed Christmas

We attended Christmas dinner at the home of Uncle CSH and Auntie EC.

Auntie EC is the sister of MIL.

A season of reflection

Christmas, a time of giving and receiving.

It is also the season of Lent, a time of reflection.

We are very blessed, living in Singapore. We have plenty of clothes to wear and food to eat.

We can even indulge in little luxuries, such as Sticky Chewy Chocolate ice-cream.

As season of thanksgiving draws to an end, let us remember those around us and reflect that we have much to be thankful for. We may have trials and tribulations in life but no matter what happens, always remember that the Lord loves us and He will see us to victory.

May I take this opportunity to wish all of you a very blessed Christmas and a wonderful year ahead.

Shaloam,

Do Re Mi

This song is one of my favourites. Singing it certainly brings me back to my childhood days. Enjoy!

Do Re Mi

Let's start at the very beginning
A very good place to start

When you read you begin with
ABC

When you sing you begin with
Do Re Mi

Do Re Mi

Do Re Mi
The first three notes just happen to be
Do Re Mi

Do Re Mi

Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti
Let's see if I can make it easier

Do - a deer a female deer
Re - a drop of golden sun
Mi - a name I call myself
Fa - a long long way to run
So - a needle pulling thread
La - a note to follow so
Ti - a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to
Do Oh Oh Oh

Do - a deer a female deer
Re - a drop of golden sun
Mi - a name I call myself
Fa - a long long way to run
So - a needle pulling thread
La - a note to follow so
Ti - a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to

Do - a deer a female deer
Re - a drop of golden sun
Mi - a name I call myself
Fa - a long long way to run
So - a needle pulling thread
La - a note to follow so
Ti - a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to
Do
Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti
Do Sol Do

Now children
Do Re Mi Fa So and so on
are naturally the tunes we use to build a song
once you have these notes in your head
you can sing a million different tunes by mixing them up
like this

So Do La Fa Mi Do Re
Can you do that?
So Do La Fa Mi Do Re

So Do La Ti Do Re Do
So Do La Ti Do Re Do

Now let's put it all together

So Do La Fa Mi Do Re
So Do La Ti Do Re Do

Good!
But it doesn't mean anything
So we put in words
One word for every note
like this

When you know the notes to sing
You can sing most anything.
Together!

When you know the notes to sing
You can sing most anything

Do - a deer a female deer
Re - a drop of golden sun
Mi - a name I call myself
Fa - a long long way to run
So - a needle pulling thread
La - a note to follow so
Ti - a drink with jam and bread

That will bring us back to Do
Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do Do Ti La So Fa Mi Re

Do Mi Mi Mi So So Re Fa Fa La Ti Ti
Do Mi Mi Mi So So Re Fa Fa La Ti Ti
When you know the notes to sing
You can sing most anything

Do - a deer a female deer
Re - a drop of golden sun
Mi - a name I call myself
Fa - a long long way to run
So - a needle pulling thread
La - a note to follow so
Ti - a drink with jam and bread

That will bring us back to
So Do La Fa Mi Do Re
So Do La Fa La So Fa Ti Re Ti Do
So Do

Blessed, blessed, blessed!

"In you all the nations shall be blessed." Abraham was a blessed man.

The blessings of Abraham is upon us because we are the seed of Abraham.

It is all a matter of believing it and receiving it. It is as simple as that.

Jesus took the sin away so that blessings can flow in our lives. The Lord has nailed the law to the Cross! The blessings of Abraham has come to the Gentiles.

All this can be summarised in 4 sentences:-

(1) We are blessed.

(2) Curses have been taken away from our lives.

(3) Curses cannot take away the blessings that we have.

(4) We are a blessing to others wherever we go.

Does this mean that as children of God we will not encounter challenges and difficulties in our lives? It does not. However, these trials were not placed in our lives by God, contrary to some school of thought. We encounter challenges because it was the devil who placed them there. However, do not fear for the Lord will turn any lemons in our lives to lemonade. He will turn our tests into testimonies.

Let us trust that the Lord will do everything for our good.

There are some people who believe that if we take certain actions in our lives, we will gain merit and we will go to heaven when we die. However, the fact of the matter is that we can never earn our way into heaven nor can any wrongdoing of ours deny our entry into heaven. When we accept Jesus into our lives, His blood flows in us and He has paid for our entry into heaven with His most precious blood.

All sins have been punished by God on the body of Jesus.

There is only one sin that is unpardonable - the sin of unbelief.

Our God is such a big God that He does not need us to earn merit to gain entry into eternal life. He has provided the perfect offering and perfect sacrifice - His Son, Jesus Christ. Therefore, let us not try to "do good deeds so that we can go to heaven". We do good deeds because we want to and not because we have to. We love because He first loved us.

It is not enough to hear the Word of God. We have to receive it.

Do you believe what you hear?

We need the wisdom of God. Abraham believed God. Who do you believe? Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

The things of God are simple but yet powerful. Wisdom is the principal thing.

Let us ask for God's wisdom every day. Wisdom is the first gift. Discernment comes from God. The first sign that a person has received the wisdom of God is that he values the presence of God above everything else.

God is so big! God seals the hands of every man with His grace. Solomon asked God for wisdom - God gave him riches and honour.

Today, we are in Christ and at the right hand of the Father. We therefore have eternal life and God's wisdom.

Right at the heart of God is mercy. God does not delight in judging people. God delights in showing mercy.

The secret of heaven is Jesus. When we receive wisdom, we seek the Ark of the Covenant, where the presence of God is. The sign that we have received wisdom is when we treasure, relish and worship Jesus. In Christ are all treasures of wisdom and knowledge. When our heart is not full of Jesus, we feel empty. Jesus is for us to enjoy. Without Jesus, we can do nothing. Jesus wants to be in the midst of us. We are His beloved and let us focus on Him. In Christ, all things are held together.

Let Jesus be at the centre of our lives. We have received the spirit and wisdom of God, so that we now know the things which have been freely given to us by God.

Papa, He loves Mama

Papa, he loves Mama (by Joan Regan)

Listen well while I tell you a story,

Of a boy and a girl in the spring,

As the first flower burst into glory,

And I heard, every bird start to sing.

Papa, He loves Mama,

Mama, she loves Papa, (My poppet..)

Papa, He loves Mama,

Mama, she loves Papa.

In a church, far away from the city,

On a morning in May, they were wed

And the bride's starry eyes looked so pretty,

That the world looking on smiled and said

Papa, He loves Mama,

Mama, she loves Papa,

Papa, He Loves Mama

Mama, she loves Papa.

Just a year from the day they were married,

Came a gift from girl to the boy,

Looking proud as a queen as she carried,

Such a wonderful bundle of joy.

Papa, He loves Mama,

Mama, she loves Papa,

Papa, He loves Mama,

Mama, she loves Papa.

(giggles and laughs while singing this verse)

Papa, He loves Mama,

Mama, she loves Papa,

Papa, He loves Mama,

Mama, she loves Papa.

aching feet

I had aching feet today from the KLKK (kia-lai-kia-ke) yesterday and as such, we decided to have a quiet day at home today.

Da bought brunch from our favourite coffee shop at Jalan Tua Kong. He bought steamed white rice with ingredients for himself.

For me, Da bought mee sua soup.

In the early afternoon, I stood at our balcony and admired our mini pot of orchids. We had bought this pot of orchids from Ikea several years ago. When we bought it, there was a single stalk of flowers. Ever since that stalk, the orchid has not bloomed. Recently, I was elated to see 3 stalks growing. Hallelujah! It is amazing how the plants do not have to worry about life and yet the Lord makes sure that they will survive and thrive.

The pot of plant below was "created" from stem cuttings from another pot. I was not sure whether the plant would survive as I did not know whether this was the correct way to propagate this type of plant. As such, I was very excited to see that the plant was starting to flower.

During teatime, I baked a banana raisin cake. This cake does not contain eggs nor butter/margarine and is hence suitable for vegans.

I also baked four small bratwurst rolls. Da and I like to eat bratwurst as it is very hearty.

My Aunt SN (who hails from Muar in Malaysia) is currently in Singapore. She likes homemade bread and as such, I baked a loaf of banana oat bread.

In the evening, we took a short stroll around our estate. When we came back to our development, we saw a small Christmas tree located near the guard house. Ah... Christmas is just around the corner! The Lord loves us so much that He willingly came to earth as a man; He suffered and died for us and by His stripes, we are healed!

My feet were aching too much for me to cook a full meal. As such, I added some hash brown, ham, cheese sausages and milk to a can of clam chowder and cooked a simple one-dish meal.

There was just enough for Da and me, with a little leftover.

We ate the chowder with 1/2 a bratwurst bread roll each.

Shaloam,